18 Chapter 18: Activities On The Ship [ Frei POV ]

In the biggest cabin in the ship that was filled with only minimum furniture, on top of the bed that was covered with the white satin sheet, a guy was sleeping restlessly. His head moved left and right and beads of sweat fell from his forehead. He started tossing around before finally opening his eyes. For a moment, he kept staring at the ceiling above his head with an empty gaze.

"Freyja..."

The word just slipped from his mouth.

Recently, he kept dreaming about that incident again, although it had been a long time he didn't dream about it. That day when Rena shielded Mirra from the fireball explosion, it reminded him of his past, the day when he lost all which precious for him.

He suddenly filled with anger, looking at her figure laying on the ground motionless, even though he had decided to keep that girl alive just the night before. For Frei, it was the same as failure. Once again, he felt his powerlessness.

Frei covered his eyes with both of his hands. He looked at the magic hourglass next to the bed, he had only been sleeping for two and a half hours, but even in normal condition, he only slept for four-six hours a day. Decided not to go back to sleep, he got off the bed and started exercising early in his room.

"...498, 499, 500."

Frei stopped doing his one hand push up, switching to the other hand and started counting again. He trained in combat arts for self-defense, it was a useful skill when he must go somewhere without Sebastian and Senka following him. Carrying a sword for a merchant would only keep the other parties' guard up, more the trouble than the merit, especially when doing negotiation. That said, it didn't mean he couldn't swing one.

Right after the morning sun had appeared in the east, he heard knocking on the door. Frei knew who was there.

"Come in."

Sebastian entered the room, greeted him and bowed, bringing Frei's usual breakfast.

"Couldn't sleep again?" He asked with a concerned look.

He tried not to make him worry, so he smiled and said, "It's nothing to worry, Sebastian. It will be gone in a few days."

He sat on the chair, Sebastian offered to him.

"What's the schedule today?" He said.

Sebastian stood beside him said, "Checking reports and cargo logistics. A letter from Sir Angelo arrived yesterday before the ship departed."

"Oh?"

"Also, we'll probably need a plan when we arrived at Valia Kingdom, regarding the matter of Sir Jean."

"I'll talk with Jean first about that." Frei said.

Jean had agreed to work with Frei's company and went to Ardia, his reason was that his curiosity toward that girl though. But they knew Valia Kingdom would not let go of him easily, after all, the second son of Marquis Jaunice was the most prominent magician in their kingdom.

Sebastian put the dish in front of him.

"Thank you, Sebastian." Frei said.

This scene was just his usual morning. After finishing his breakfast, Frei went to his office to check reports. He read the logistic reports, accounting report, bills and payments, and other stuff there that he had neglected these past few days. Sebastian was the one who did most of the job here, all Frei did was reading or signing them. He was really grateful to Sebastian, without him, he wouldn't be able to go this far.

After signing all the papers and gave them back to Sebastian, there was only a letter from Linden's Guild Master left.

"What does he want this time?" He opened the letter.

Dear Frei <3

Could you get me Slime Jelly from Valia Kingdom?

Guild Master of Ardia Kingdom's Linden Branch Merchant Guild

Angelo

P.S. I heard a rumor that you bought a chick at Tawarr's Auction House, saving her from the hand of perverted noble. Show her to me next time!

He knew it would be something like this. Angelo was a notable gourmet glutton among his peers. He was especially fond of asking Frei because he never failed to fulfill his requests. Every time he went away for some business trips, he'd request specific food souvenirs to be brought back. One time, he asked for a food that would get spoiled if not eaten right away. Frei must ask the help of nearby Magician Guild to find a magician who could cast an ice spell.

Frei looked at the additional note on the bottom.

(As expected of the Merchant Guild's Guild Master, he was fast with rumors.)

He crumpled the letter then threw it in the trash.

Despite his hobby of inconveniencing people, the troublesome Guild Master had a lot of connections everywhere, and Frei often got recommendations from him. In the end, dealing with his silly requests were just a payback for him.

"Okay, Sebastian. Let's go check the logistics."

Frei got up from his seat, walked out of his office and went to the direction of cargo room, followed by Sebastian. When he closed by, he heard some noises coming from the room.

"What is this?" A familiar woman's voice.

"That one is called Black Teposa, it was currently in high demand in Ardia." The guy with a bright tone in his voice answered.

"You can try one, but please keep it a secret, okay?"

"Really?!" The woman's voice sounded excited.

"Good morning, Vins. Good morning, Rena." Frei greeted them.

Vins, the logistics head, went pale hearing Frei's voice. He snatched the fruit from Rena's hand and quickly put it back to the barrel. They turned around nervously.

"For a logistic head, that was pretty irresponsible, wasn't it?"

"I'm really sorry!! She didn't eat anything yet!" Vins said, his expression resembled a rat cornered by a snake.

He twitched his head slightly to the side, instructed Sebastian to handle the guy. Sebastian signaled the pale face Vins to follow him with his hand, and when the two had gone, Rena and Frei were alone in the room.

She lowered her head, her hands clutching the white and red dress she bought from Saola.

He watched the girl he bought from the Auction House, moving awkwardly with her thoughts lay bare on her face. At first, he only brought her to anger Lord Sennan. He went that day to the Auction House targeting the item that guy was going to buy, it didn't necessarily have to be her. But he ended up hitting a jackpot, finding a raw diamond. Thanks to that, he didn't leave her in that burned village.

As he interacted with her, he noticed this peculiar girl was unusual, in every sense of the word. She possessed unthinkable magic power, but more than that, her actions, behaviors, and way of thinking were different than any other girls he knew.

A little naive for her age, with a good brain and a good character, signs of having been raised in a good family and receiving a good education, but what's funny, she didn't possess any knowledge at all, not even what commoners knew.

Her mannerism was good, her posture was straight, but unlike a noble girl who personified a swan, nor a rich merchant's daughter who personified a cat, the girl behaved like a commoner but unlike a commoner either. And she didn't seem wanting to share her personal life. In short, her existence was a puzzle to solve.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Well, I'm just looking around, trying to find something to do, learning stuff. Maybe I could also be helpful." Showing him her nervous smile.

"In cargo room?" His eyebrow raised.

"I saw yesterday when they were loading cargoes to the ship. I was just interested in the loads."

"Are you aware that there are only men here?"

"It's the same everywhere, Mirra and me are the only females on the ship."

And that's her stubborn answer.

"It's not the same. These are rough men and you were coming alone in such a place."

She lifted her face, looking straight at him with her purple eyes. Her gaze was pure, reflecting the soul inside the body.

"Aren't they your men? Besides they look like nice guys."

He sighed heavily. (Didn't she realize she just being courted earlier?)

Since he was quiet, she started feeling awkward. Her gaze looking left and right, except to his direction. And when she looked down, he thought she would be apologizing, but when she lifted her face up, she said, "Thank you for worrying about me! But after that incident in the village, I always brought my lucky charm with me!"

"Lucky charm?"

Rena took something out from her pocket and showed it to him.

"This is my lucky charm!"

There was a rusty chisel on her palm.

Something snapped inside him, he wanted to teach her a lesson so she would understand. Her bright innocent expression lit the burning amber in him. He moved closer to her, blocking her path to escape, and pinned her body with his against the wall. Her expression changed suddenly.

"W-what are you doing?!"

Rena held the chisel tightly, but his hand was a lot stronger and faster than her. He held her wrist, so she couldn't move it.

"Can you still say the same now?"

She glared at him, but she wasn't fighting back. He saw her face turning red, but her gaze carried a resolute look. From this distance, he could smell a faint smell of a spring flower coming from her, not the one of perfume or soap, but her scent.

"You better raise your guard more." Frei let go of her.

"I don't have any idea what you did with that chisel before, but lucky charm just as the name implied, lucky. You might not get so lucky next time." He warned her.

She bit her lips, gazing down, still with a flustered face.

Frei was aware that the girl was trying to resist his approach. She played dumb, ignored him, or sometimes puckered her lips showing her annoyance. That's why he was having fun teasing her many times, her expressions were funny and cute. It was amusing to look at.

But just now, when she glared at him with resolute eyes but all red in the face, something inside him melted. He didn't understand what was that, but he wanted to eat her. So, he stopped before something really happened. If there's something he wouldn't allow himself to do, it was forcing himself physically to someone else. He had seen it and he had lived it.

"So... Did you want to try that Black Teposa?" He tried distracting himself.

"Can I?" She couldn't hide her smile, showing a clear expectation.

He opened the barrel and took one fruit, split it in half and gave it to her.

"Here, try it."

She took half of the fruit from him, her eyes sparkled. "Thank you..."

"It looks like a chocolate pudding..." She muttered in a small voice but Frei heard her.

(What's a chocolate pudding?)

And she ate it. Her cheeks munching the fruit was like a squirrel eating nuts, clearly expressed that she liked it. He couldn't help chuckling a bit.

"Do you like it?" He asked.

"Yeah, I like the mildly sweet taste." She said.

"Ah, there's leftover left on your cheek." Frei moved his hand, wiping her cheek with his finger.

Her body stiffened but she remained calm, "Uhm, thank you."

He smiled. The girl was interesting and adorable, moreover, she would be useful to him. Tasting her was okay, right? She belonged to him anyway.

"May I know what are you doing here as well?" She asked.

"I'm just going to check up the cargo we load yesterday, matching it with the list, and finding a solution if they found any problem. Do you want to take a look around with me?"

"Y-yes!" She answered enthusiastically.

He gave a tour around the place and she kept asking many questions about the goods there. He wondered if he could be more surprised at just how clueless Rena was, it was like she was living in a high tower all her life. She didn't even know the name of common ingredients. Her eyes genuinely conveyed her curiosity, just like little kids trying to learn the world around them.

"Ohh, these are spices!" She shouted.

(Oh? Finally, something she knew?)

She moved around sniffing the spices.

"Whoa, these are cloves, nutmegs, saffron, cardamoms, and many more! Amazing!"

(What is she talking about?)

Her back was facing him, she bent her body scooping one of the spice with her hand.

"I want to cook..." She spoke in an undertone voice, but he could hear what she said.

"You know how to cook?"

"Well, yeah... A little." Startled, her body twitched a little. She got wary.

"Really?" His eyebrow twitched.

Frei got even more curious, this girl who didn't even know the names of the goods, just how would she know how to cook? And then an idea popped into his mind.

"Could you cook for me then? I'll let you use these ingredients."

"Really?" She stared at him with her big purple eyes.

"Yep. But if I don't like it, I'll eat you."

"Ehh?!!"

"You can back down if you are afraid." A mischievous smile spread across his face.

---

[Extra Chapter: Frei's interview ]

A-san: Ok, Detective Rena, how's the result of the investigation?

Rena: A-san! Why do I need to do this?!

A-san: For money, right? Come on, give me his body type, height and sizes first.

Rena: Umm... I think Frei has slender built, he didn't look muscular at first sight. His height around 185 cm, 96-75-90. Geez, it was so embarrassing asking this! He kept trying to give me his size down there too! Arrrghh!

A-san: Hahaha. How about his physical characteristics?

Rena: His golden hair had a slightly wavy texture. I'm not sure about hairstyles, I think he had a long fringe... A grown out layers style? He has hair that looks good when the wind blow it... He had a deep set of eyes with sea green color. And surprisingly, long eyelashes when you look at him from a close distance. Hmm, straight nose and...*ummmph!!*

Frei: So, this is what are you doing sneaking behind my back?

A-san: Oh, is it Frei? I'm sorry I am the one who made her gathering your personal information. Don't blame her, please.

Frei: A-san, is it? You can ask me directly about this. I can give you more details information than Rena. *whisper whisper* Rena's voice in the background: umpphhh!

A-san: (I wonder what are they doing there...) So, Frei... Since you're here already, do you mind to answer some questions?

Frei: I don't mind at all. It's better to ask me directly than sneaking around like this.

A-san: I'm sorry, I thought you're the secretive type. I tried to contact you last time and the line was hung.

Frei: Oh, really? That must be because the connection is bad.

A-san: (Nah, the connection is fine.) So, can we start by introducing yourself?

Frei: Sure. I'm Frei, owner of Almsteinn Trading Company. Nearly ten years ago I, succeeded the business from my father, Almsteinn. Since then, I successfully grow the company and made it as one of the biggest businesses in Ardia Kingdom.

A-san: That's wonderful... So young so successful. Btw, how old are you?

Frei: I was born in early spring 24 years ago in Ardia Kingdom.

A-san: Are you married yet?

Frei: No, I'm not.

A-san: People marry early there, right? Why are you still single?

Frei: Too many choices~

A-san: Heeh, there's no one special for you?

Frei: No.

A-san: What's your type of girl?

Frei: Pretty.

A-san: Eh, that's so generic. Then what do you think of Rena?

Frei: My precious~ Rena's voice in the BG: Ummpph!!*

A-san: (Where did I hear that line before...) Your precious, eh?

Frei: Indeed.

A-san: Ok, this is a question from Ikaze. You seem oddly possessive toward Rena from the get go (love at first sight?). Are you like this to all girls or is there any other reason?

Frei: Oddly possessive? She's my possession. Who are you anyway?

A-san: Eh, eh, calm down!

Frei: I'm always calm.

A-san: Oh, yeah... You're right. (It suddenly becomes chill...). He's a fan who's just worried about Rena.

Frei: Just for your knowledge, she is living a life that would make girls, commoners or not, jealous. She works because she wants to, not because she must. I provide all her basic necessities and more. She didn't need to worry about being forced into marriage, and I never forced her against her will. Let me ask you back, what do you think will happen to her if other men bought her?

A-san: Ok, ok. I understand. So, how about the other question? Are you always like this to all the girls?

Frei: No, I don't act like that with other girls. You see, Rena is fun to tease, she is very animated. It's fun looking the change in her expressions. Usually, girls only care how they look around me. Their reaction is template just like those fantasy series.

A-san: Fantasy series?! How do you know about that?

Frei: I read many books.

A-san: But still... That kind of books isn't supposed to be there.

Frei: Heh, we also have people who love writing fantasy stories.

A-san: I see, so you like reading this kind of stories as well. Mind to tell us your favorite series?

Frei: My favorite series is C'est La Vie.

A-san: What's the story about?

Frei: It's about a noble who went to another world gathering harem, but he ended up working everyday only for his money being used to pay child support and legal charges. Interesting, right?

A-san: ....Ok, thanks for answering the questions.

Frei: You're welcome. Ok, Rena, punishment time. *yadaaa!!*